The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1887-03-17
The Devils Lana
By EDGAR L. VINCENT.

IL ~A1u.AN lie VlNCENTs
That line had always. been q bone
of contention between Uncle Joe Allen
and his neighbor on the west: When
the country was new Uncle Joe and
Samson Freeholder had bought ad.
jacent farms. In some way or anoth.
or they had not agreed about the
matter of building the line fence. One
wanted the privilege OF building it in
his own way, the other would not
adopt that method; and SO it came
about that they decided to build a
lane two rods wide, one-half lying one
side the line and one-half on the other
side. Each man put up a fence the
whole length OF the line, leaving that
long strip of land that neither could
use.
With a considerable degree of pro-
priety the lane came to be known as
"the DEVILS Lane" Similar lanes
may be found in certain parts of this
country at the present time, although
they are fast disappearing,
TO the matter stood. The two men
let each other severely alone after the
fence was built. Each kept up the
fence on his side of the DEVILS lane,
never venturing to do anything to.
wards making the land OF value to
himself or his neighbor.
Time brought gray hairs to those
good farmers, and at length Sampson
Freebooter was gathered to his fathers.
Then the farm was sold to Dick
Lamson,a wide-awake thorough-goins
young fellow who was bound to sue
coed in life. Everybody said so, and
what all in Springfield township agreed
upon, who could question? Uncle Joe
was not blind TO the young mans
sterling qualities, and so it happened
that when, in the course of time, Dick
came to court his handsome daughter
Sess, he was very much inclined to
favor his suit: 1t was not long before
1T came to be we'll understood that
Dick was ''going with Bess," and that
they were going to ''get married" in g.
few months.
Matters were in this condition when
once upon a time Dick happened to
get to thinking about that DEVILS
lane. Then it stretched the whole
width OF his farm, separating him from
his prospective iather-in.law.
At that time the lane was we'll CAL
culated to be an eyesore to any ener-
getic farmer. 1t had been allowed to
run to waste for many years. No one
had set loot on it since the fences had
been built save now and then g. ven.
turesome boy hunting rabbits, for
which 1t furnished an excellent retreat,
For 1t had grown up so thickly with
shrubs, briars and weeds that it was
the next thing to impossible for any
one to force his way through it. In
such condition it was OF no use to
the men who owned the land. 1t
looked to Dick like a sheer waste OF
property. There was q strip of land
16O rods long and rod wide that be.
longed to him, and q piece of the same
size which Uncle Joe ought to have
under cultivation.
Was it not poor policy to allow
that land to run wild in that way?
So it seemed to him. He knew moth.
ing about the circumstances under
which thelane had been built and posi-.
bly, thought it was only by chance.
"Tll speak to Uncle Joe about it TIN
next time I'm over that way" was
Dicks resolution; and 1t was not long
before he had a chance to carry it in.
to effect. The old gentleman seemed
to be in very good humor tho day
Dick called on him, and the two men
sat on the fence half an hour chatting
about the crops and matters in gener.
a.. Finally the young man said:
BY the way. Uncle Joe, what doyou
say to clearing up that land between
you and me and putting q good fence
on the line? Thut's where it belongs.
The use of that land is worth some.
thing to us both"
Uncle Joe's lips closed for moment
very tightly. Then he replied:
"lt's good enough for me as it isl"
Now, that meant great deal from
Uncle Joe. 1t meant that he had not
forgotten the strife of almost half q
century ago with neighbor Freehold
or. and that he had no inclination
now to depart from the decision he
had then formed never to help build q
tence on the line
Dick was not slow to see that there
was something back of the farmer
remark, and he wisely said no more
about the lane.
But as fate would have it, the Leg
islature of the State about that time
happened to recognize the fact that
there were number OF DEVILS lanes
inside its boundaries; and approaching
the fact that they were but standing
monuments OF mans perversity. some
one introduced a bill to do away with
them for ever. In case the parties ir
interest could not or would not agres
to build q joint fence, the trustees O.
the township were authorized to To-
cate the line, build a fence upon it and
charge the expense to the general tax
This Dick knew, but his steady-go
ing neighbor did not. So that when
some one happened to remark to Dick
that it was about time the lane was
closed up, it set the young man tc
thinking very earnestly.
Why should Ul.cle Joe persist sc
foollshly in maintaining that crop o.
bushes and briars. His farm was
rywhere else a model of thrift
After while he ventured to approach
Uncle Joe again on the. subject and
told him, as the law then was, hi
didn't see but the lane would have tc
be done away with. But the old man
was immovable. It passes all compre
hension what an amount OF litigation
and neighborhood difficulty have
grown out OF so simple a matter as
the construction OF a. line fence. Mer
sensible in most matters have beer
made enemies for life by just such 6
thing as that. It is my duty tt
chronicle the fact that, tho more Dick
thought about it, the more it aroused
him. 1t was downright meanness or
the old mans part to stand out ir
that way, according to Dicks opin
ion. OF course, he was an old mar
now and full of whims; but he ought
to listen to common sense.
He finally talked it over with Bess
and, like the sensible girl she was, sh,
sought to act as q mediator between
the two men. 1t was not the frs
time woman's heart has been crush